The Nicest Girl in The World
by Caribous
Summary: First part of The Girl Who Got Divorced From Her Family.
1. Goodbye, Sakurako

_"Hello, Ayano-fukukaicho, Chitose-sempai, Rise-kaicho."_

 _They turned and looked over at Oomuro Sakurako, the youngest girl in the student council, a little worriedly. She was usually polite to everyone (except Furutani Himawari, with whom she bickered like a sibling). But today as she stood in the door, she was quiet and dispirited. Sakurako knew they were looking at her, so she went on. "I have to leave the student council, and I won't be back. I hope Himawari makes it to the vice president. It would be a shame being her rival for a year and having someone else be fukukaicho. Please tell her that." She smiled but that only made the expressions of the other people there worse, so she must not have done it right._

 _Ayano looked at Rise and Chitose, then started to ask "What has happened, Sakurako-san?" "Even if you ask me that," Sakurako said, "I - that is, I can't explain what's going on right now, and I can't stay. I will miss everyone very much." She turned and walked away rapidly but not making much noise._

 _Sakurako knew there were no tears in her eyes. Years of putting on a front when she was sad had trained her - mostly - to hide those kind of feelings. And now she had no choice. There was no shoulder left to cry on. She didn't have much of a family, and now she had lost Himawari for good. And life was going to get no easier ever again. She'd probably have to leave school and fend for herself after this school year ended. She might - she'd probably never cry again._

 _Just as she'd come to terms with that and was close to the shoe lockers, a figure loomed out of the shadows and phantom hands reached for Sakurako._


	2. An American Child

ON THE SIXTH DAY in September of Heisei 7, having come to the hospital from watching _takigino_ in Taito, Tokyo, Oomuro Fumiko gave her husband their second child. She was a pretty baby, with a head full of white blonde hair. This was a little unusual for a Japanese child, but her mother and Makoto, her father, both were said to have some European heritage. Still, with her blonde hair and the fact that she was quite early, little Oomuro Sakurako came into the world as a surprise, just a little bit disruptive. For a newborn. While she could cry very loudly indeed, Fumiko was relieved that she seemed to stop and not fuss, as long as she was fed and paid attention to. Her name was a bit unusual, given she was born the opposite part of the year from _sakura-zensen_.

She was a little early, and the Oomuros had traveled quickly back home after watching _kaze no bon_ in Toyama after a false alarm there. Unlike Nadeshiko, Sakurako's older sister who was almost five years old, Sakurako had been born in a hospital instead of a _san'in_.

In part, this was because she came unexpectedly. Mainly, this was because the Ooomuru couple had wanted their first child to have everything done perfectly. Although her father Makoto's work disapproved, he came home on time during Nadeshiko's first 100 days and helped Fumiko with dinner and housework, only going back to working overtime on occasion after Nadeshiko's _okuizome_.

But Sakurako got no cute little baby plates and cups to look at later on, and no ceremony ensuring she'd never go hungry.

By the time the second child arrived, the Oomuros had had nearly five years to get accustomed to being parents and so they mostly took shortcuts with baby Sakurako. Too, she stayed very blonde. A couple of relatives called her the "American child." An annoying in-law said "little _yankee_ girl." It might also be possible that the Oomuros would have preferred to have had a boy.

According to the blood type book the Oomuros had on their bookshelf, a blood-type B like Sakurako, on the one hand, is "passionate, active, creative, animal-loving, flexible, cheerful and optimistic," but on the other hand, "irresponsible, forgetful, selfish, lazy, impatient, unreliable, prone to going her own way."

As a Virgo, Sakurako's least compatible love partner would be a Gemini, and if it were a type A partner, the relationship would be argumentative, and tough on the type A.


	3. Overwhelming Feelings

_"I can't believe it. But my family can believe it easy. But I can't believe it." Sakurako felt like someone had thrown cold water in her face while she was sleepwalking. She was wide awake now, and all she could think about was that she had taken her anger out - all of it - on the one person who had stood by her and tried to help. The person she'd promised to always stand by when they first met. She felt feverish like she would faint any minute. And she felt so cold she shivered._

 _It was good timing. A pair of hands grabbed Sakurako, and she screamed._


	4. An American Child Part 2

Sakurako was a good-natured, friendly baby. Sweet and cute, outgoing and adorable even to strangers, she rarely complained. Nearly always smiling. Her mother's mother observed the little girl and exclaimed "she will grow up to be the nicest girl in the world, Fumiko!" It seemed possible. But was that a thing to say to your own nice daughter? And what about Nadeshiko?

That last one is a good question and it has a good answer.


	5. Love Can Fix Anything

Nadeshiko had been spoiled, I hope that was clear from the facts presented earlier. She'd had five years to grow accustomed to being the apple of her parents' eyes. Because she enjoyed praise, and was very intelligent, as her school years approached she had already mastered many of the skills she would need. Acquaintances would tell the Oomuros "you must be very proud of her." They were, and she had nothing to complain about.

Even a baby you're taking shortcuts with needs a lot of attention. Sakurako needed feeding and changing more often than Nadeshiko had. The Oomuros had stopped giving Nadeshiko a pacifier early on, because they thought they might be bad for babies. With Sakurako, they hoped it would make her sleep more, and she spent more time throwing it than sucking on it anyway. With uncanny skill, she could hurl it out the bedroom door into the hall to the living room. Distressed by her American hair, they nonetheless exclaimed that she was "cute." She was very much the "win your heart" kind of baby and toddler.

Fumiko had part-time work she really enjoyed, and she was anxious to get back to it. Makoto didn't do much housework though he was careful not to make many messes. At nearly five years of age, it was time for Nadeshiko, who was clever and independent, to do a few things for herself.

Sometimes Nadeshiko thought Sacchan was cute, like a puppy, and fun to hold. Other times she felt like she was a bother and a rival and shouldn't have been born.

When Sakurako was two, she didn't say " _Iie_ " like other children. Instead she would say " _Hai_ " and then a short while later, not do what you asked, or do what you'd asked her not to do. "I fogot!" she would say, with the cutest smile ever. By the time she was four, her energy was out of control.

This came to a head one day when she was running around the house at top speed, over and over. Finally she lost control outside by the door and bumped into a hummingbird feeder a little Nadeshiko had built out of popsicle sticks years ago. It flew down onto the ground and smashed. Nadeshiko shrieked and went to her room.

The next morning When Nadeshiko and papa Oomuro came down for breakfast, the bird feeder was back where it had been. If it wasn't perfect, it being old, it was about as good as it had been before. 4-year-old Saachan had painstakingly glued it back together, fixing and straightening broken popsicle sticks. Her clothes, hands, even her face, were full of glue and there was some on her tongue. Mama Oomuro had woken in the middle of the night to check on Saachan, found her asleep in the kitchen, and carried her to bed.

Now she went and woke the girl, and led her into the kitchen. "Don't worry, Neesan!" Saachan said, sleepily. "Saachan loves Neesan, and love can fix anything! That's what grandma said."


	6. Sakurako In Its Clutches

_"Oomuro-san! Sakurako-san! Are you okay? Why did you yell?"_

 _The thing that was holding Sakurako tightly turned out to be Akaza Akari. It was thinking to itself, "she didnt' just yell, she screamed!"_

 _Akari was one of Sakurako's favorite people on Earth, because, when you got right down to it, Sakurako was even more practical than her fellow Type B Toshinou Kyouko, and Akaza-san was a very useful person to be around. When Chitose had a nosebleed or Sakurako had to sneeze, Akari would appear with tissues. When Sakurako fell down, Akari had a bandage. She watered the flowers in the window and fed the turtles and fish if the class had an aquarium._

 _If Sakurako had missed lunch somehow Akari would have saved a little back._

 _In turn, Akari liked Oomuro-san a lot, too. Other than her sister, Sakurako was the only person that always saw Akari. Even her two friends from elementary school, Yui and Kyouko, and her classmate and fellow Amusement Club member, Chinatsu, who all saw her every day, forgot her – worse, they laughed about it instead of being sorry._

 _Now that Akane was spending so much time with her friends, especially Chinatsu's older sister, it got very lonely having no presence. One time she had complained to Oomuro, and she had gotten a dreamy expression. "I would totally spy on Himawari and the girls'... I mean, it would be great to be able to turn invisible, only it doesn't seem like it, huh? But I can always see you, so don't mind." That same day. Akari had still felt bad so she talked to the always-nice Furutani-san, who got the same dreamy look and mentioned "Sakurako and the girls' ...", then caught herself and said, "Oh, that doesn't sound good. Still, I am glad Sakurako is at least being good for something for once." Akari had to wonder, "girls' what?" Was there a secret girls' society the two young student council girls wanted to spy on?_

 _"Akari thought Oomuro-san looked so sad."_

 _Well, that was probably true._

 _"Akari was worried Oomuro-san caught Akari's invisibility. Then even Oomuro-san couldn't see me, so Akari got sad too, and needed a hug, too."_

 _"I'm sorry, Akaze-san. Right now I am not seeing much. On a normal day I don't think Akari-san lacks presence, promise."_

 _"Akari is always happy to see Oomuro-san at school. Do you want to talk about why you're so sad?"_

 _Sakurako had just recently managed to talk her parents into buying her a phone, after Nadeshiko and even Hanako already had one._

 _"Akari-san," she said. "Give me your phone number and your email. And ... " What was it Nadeshiko had been talking about on the phone with that girl from her school she always hung out with ... "And I think we should use LINE."_

 _"What's up with that, Oomuru-san?"_

 _"Akari-san, I think I'm going to leave school pretty soon, and I want us to be able to maybe talk or email or chat or something once in a while."_

 _"Why would Oomuro-san do that? What will you do if you don't go to school, Sakurako?"_

 _Sakurako had her belongings together and her outdoor shoes on. She gave Akari a squeeze and started walking out the door._

 _"I wish I could say, Akari-san, but to be honest, I have no idea."_


	7. Meet Hima-chan, Saachan!

The girls in her neighborhood all liked Sacchan. She was always eager to play, and never tried to get her way. She always shared, took turns, and was fair. And she was almost like a mom when it came to breaking up fights and getting girls to hug or bow or shake hands and say they were friends.

She was tough when she fell and hurt herself and cheerful if she didn't do something as well as another girl.

She was very nice to the even smaller girls, making sure they were watched and not hurt and not excluded. And she was always the first to reach out to a shy girl too nervous to make friends.

The shyest girl of all came by the park one day, near her mother. Her mother encouraged her to go say hi to the other children playing. She was a very pretty girl, with hair so jet black it seemed blue and huge wide eyes. Sakurako noticed her right away and said to the other girls "I wanna go over there and talk to that girl."

"What's your name?" she asked.

The girl wouldn't answer and had lowered her eyes. She moved back to where she could reach back and touch her mother's coat.

"She is very shy. Her name is Himawari," said her mother, with a smile. "What is your name? You are a friendly little girl, aren't you?"

"I'm Sakurako!" she replied with a big smile. "Konnichiwa Hima-chan!"

Himawari stuttered something in such a small voice Sakurako couldn't hear what she said. It might have been part of "konnichiwa."

The girl was a little smaller and had shrunk in on herself, so Sakurako bent her knees a little to be at eye-level with her. "Do you want to play, Hima-chan?"

Hima-chan shook her head, no, and didn't raise her head.

"Hima-chan ..." Sakurako said, patiently.

Himawari looked up a little.

"Hajimemashite! Sakurako is happy to meet you. Sakurako wants to see Hima-chan more!"

Sakurako bowed to Himawari, who bowed back. She had the start of a smile.

As Sacchan went back to the other girls she turned around and waved bye. Then for some reason, she blew Hima-chan a kiss.

They met up again a week later. Himawari's mother was resting on a bench and Himawari went over to watch - from a distance - other girls playing. They were playing with a ball and running around with it, playing "keep-away" of sorts, and one ran away and right into Himawari, who went sprawling in the grass.

She started to cry her heart out. Before her mom could come, someone already had picked Himawari up and was hugging her.

" _Daijobu, Daijobu, Ii desho_ Hima-chan.'

"It hurts!" Hima-chan wailed.

"Where does it hurt?"

"...H-head," she said.

Sakurako hugged Hima-chan a little tighter and very gently kissed her on the forehead.

" Pain, pain, fly away! There you go, it's all better."

Mama Furutani arrived as Sakurako took Himawari's hand and helped her get on her feet. "I'm so sorry, baby!" she said. "Do you want to go home?"

Hima-chan nodded. However, she was still holding Sakurako's hand and showed no signs of letting go.

"Hima-chan, okaasan wants me to go straight home when i leave." Himawari shook her head.

Suddenly, Himawari's mother asked Sakurako "Are you the Oomuro's Sakurako?"

"Hai," said Sa-chan. "Do you know okaasan?"

"Yes, Sacchan I know your mother, Fumiko. We are practically neighbors. Your house is near Hima-chan's house."

"Okay," said Sakurako. "We can go to your house, Hima-chan!"

Himawari didn't smile but she stopped crying and pulled her mother and Sa-chan forward.

They went home Sakurako's usual way and when they got near their house, Mama Oomuro was sweeping the front steps.

"Furutani-San, good to see you and Himawari," she said with a smile. "She's so pretty already ... Is little Sakurako behaving?"

"She's so kind to Hima-chan, Oomuro-san! Other people in the neighborhood have said this, and I agree with them - Sacchan is the nicest girl in the world. She's like a little angel."

Fumiko laughed when she saw the tight grip Himawari had on Sakurako's hand. "Hima-chan! I hope you and Sacchan can be friends, would you like that?"

Himawari looked up at her and nodded. Then she pulled her mother and Sakurako forward again, making Fumiko and Mama Furutani both laugh again. "Would it be alright if sometime Himawari visits Sakurako, Oomuro-san?"

"Yes, I think so," Fumiko answered. "As long as it's before Nadeshiko gets home at 4:30. Even tomorrow would be fine."


	8. Furutani Fumiko

**[ APRIL 2008 ]**

 _I have never seen my precious daughter Himawari so upset. Of course it is over Oomuro Sakurako. Apparently, they had a real fight, not like their usual squabbling over nothing, and Himawari said she was done with Sakurako for good. She told me Sakurako was no longer welcome here. Kaede is almost as devastated as Himako._

 _I might be inclined to say it's for the best. She has always been far too wrapped up in Sakurako, and the last couple of years that girl has been taking her for granted, anyway. Both Himawari and Sakurako are perfectly capable of making friends - although when this becomes well-known at their middle school it will hurt both of their reputations, I think._

 _I almost don't recognize Sakurako nowadays. Where that angel I knew went is anyone's guess. But I can't simply write her off, because my daughter can't. We don't talk much about Sakurako these days. I have discussed her with my younger daughter, Kaede. She says Sakurako always had a temper and bad moods, but that it got much worse lately. I take exception to that "always," with my years more of acquaintance with the girl. I know for a fact she never lost her temper or her cheerfulness when she and Himawari first got together._

 _I think Himawari and I will have to talk, and not just once. Her father and I are somewhat estranged. His company insists on keeping him away from home most of the time, so he hasn't been much involved with the girls. Nonetheless, I will make him help me this time. The best way is to go see him on my time off. I know the hotel he will be at for the next month, and it's not a great distance. His company abuses the time of its staff so openly, he can beg off if there is any insincere drinking "fun" bonding nonsense going on. If need be, I will insist he say it's a family crisis, because the way my daughters are reacting, it is. He can be shrewd about people, and he remembers how Sakurako used to be._

 _I begin to think that only at least looking in to what's been going on with that girl is going to fix things for Himawari. She's a wonderful daughter, polite, mild, honest. intelligent, diligent, giving and kind. Her heart was broken when their status changed from closer-than-sisters friendship to an alleged "rivalry."_

 _I say alleged because I can't think of any area where Sakurako can rival Himako nowadays. Objectively, her campaign is insane. But the latest development has really crushed my daughter, and so, I finally want to know why. I can't help but think it goes deeper than problems of puberty, for instance._

 _I am going to be very rude and un-Japanese here: I can't help but remember things about her family. For one thing, whenever you said something nice about Sakurako to her mother, she would wave it away. And that's not just normal modesty, because when people praised her older daughter Nadeshiko, who was usually the top student, she never waved that away, but rather, basked in it. The same goes for her youngest, Hanako. And as for her father, who almost never mentions the middle daughter, the only thing I ever heard him say was one time, that she was simply "a very disappointing daughter, but what can you do?" and that he was happy for the other two children. Perhaps something you say about a disappointing child who's left home, but a child in elementary school?_

 _At any rate, I am not looking forward to any of this._


End file.
